Archive notice: This article was originally published on June 7, 2010. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
2010 looks set to become Blu-ray Disc’s most successful year in Germany. This is already becoming apparent before the end of the second quarter. Time for an interim assessment and a look into the future by industry experts from Blu-ray Group Deutschland. Interviewed were Thilo Röhrig, Chairman of Blu-ray Group Deutschland
and Head of Communication, Sony Germany; Kerstin Hintze, Marketing Director, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment; Clemens Hoh, PR Manager, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Germany; and Stefan Bock, Managing Director, msm-studios.
BITKOM recently forecast record sales of Blu-ray players in 2010, with more than one million standalone devices in Germany alone. What is supporting this development?
Thilo Röhrig, Sony Germany: The basis of this positive development is that Blu-ray technology has now entered consumers’ awareness and prices fell significantly last year. A good BD player is available from as little as 100 euros, and according to the Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung, prices for a Blu-ray Disc have averaged less than 17 euros so far in 2010.
The football World Cup will provide an additional sales engine this year. In a few days, the public-service broadcasters will begin transmitting the football matches in HD quality. For many, this is a good reason to buy a new television – especially given the attractive offers retailers are putting together for the World Cup. The gfu assumes that more than 29 million high-resolution televisions will be standing in German living rooms by the end of 2010. These people will also opt for the best picture and sound quality in home cinema – and therefore for Blu-ray technology.
Another factor that will strengthen Blu-ray in the coming months and years is 3D technology. Only Blu-ray offers the storage capacities required to bring the third dimension into people’s own homes.
Keyword 3D: What can consumers expect this year, and how do you view the market opportunities for 3D hardware?
Thilo Röhrig, Sony Germany: The major 3D cinema successes of “AVATAR,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” show us that audiences are keen on 3D. The first 3D-capable Blu-ray players and televisions are already coming onto the German market to enable the three-dimensional film experience in home cinemas, and many more devices will follow this year. Overall, we expect good demand. However, because the market is still very young, no precise forecasts can be made at this point.
$$$$
And with regard to 3D content?
Kerstin Hintze, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment: The film industry also sees the great potential of three-dimensional content in home entertainment. The first films conforming to the new standard are currently being released. For example, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” is available as a 3D version from the beginning of June, and “Grand Canyon” from the end of June. “Monster House” and “Open Season” are planned for release in 3D in autumn, followed in November by “Disney’s A Christmas Carol 3D.”
Apart from 3D, which top films are still awaiting the Blu-ray audience in 2010?
Clemens Hoh, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Germany: With well over 400,000 Blu-ray Discs sold so far, “AVATAR” is breaking all records this year and has been number one in the sales charts for weeks. Another top seller in 2010 will be “Alice in Wonderland,” which is already very successful in cinemas. The BD release is planned for July. And women’s hearts are currently beating faster thanks to the cinema launch of “Sex and the City 2.” Naturally, the film will also be available on BD.
What other areas of application are there for Blu-ray technology, and how is the market developing there?
Stefan Bock, msm-studios: Blu-ray is becoming increasingly popular not only as a film medium but also as an audio medium. As “Pure Audio Blu-ray,” it offers music enjoyment in studio quality (both stereo and surround) and is very easy to use: it can be controlled through a menu on the display or without a screen like a CD. And because people also want to listen in the car or on the move to music they have purchased, we created “mShuttle,” enabling users to make copies conveniently in different file formats and for different playback devices. All that is needed is a web browser on a PC or notebook, and the music can be loaded directly from the Blu-ray in the desired format.
What will the next Blu-ray year look like?
Thilo Röhrig, Sony Germany: The market researchers at Futuresource predict consistently positive development and strong growth in Blu-ray penetration in 2011 as well. We also expect further differentiation of the BD market, with a greater choice of BD recorders and 3D-capable players.
Further Links:
- Further information
